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How I lost 45 lbs

Hey Hive! When we last left off, I told you that I lost 45 lbs back in 2013. Mr. BC was in Hawaii, so in April, I decided to use that time to try to drop some weight.

Some background: I’ve struggled with my weight my entire adult life. I wasn’t a skinny kid; I was “normal” enough (whatever that means). Although honestly, even as a kid I could probably have stood to lose 10 lbs. I was always a little pudgy. Once I hit high school the weight started coming on gradually. I was on the swim team in high school, so that definitely helped. I also danced and did gymnastics. I never weighed myself back then, so I have no idea what those numbers really were.

Beginning about age 18-19 I started my first diet and exercise plan. Way back then, it was EASY to drop the weight. But no program I ever started seemed to “stick”. It seemed like through out my entire 20’s (and early 30’s) I’d lose 30 lbs through exercise and watching what I ate, but I’d always stop whatever I was doing and gain that weight back, plus more. Every year I aged it got harder and harder to drop the weight.

Back in March of 2013 a co-worker told me she was going to restart MediFast. She’d used the program in the past and lost 30 lbs in 3 months. Um, HELLO AWESOME RESULTS! I also remembered a few old co-workers who had tried the plan and lost weight on it. My bestie had just completed OptiFast through her doctor and had GREAT results. I didn’t have the money or desire to stop eating food on OptiFast (which is a medically supervised program), so I decided to give MediFast a try. I did a lot of Google research and watched a ton of YouTube video’s prior to buying my food. I weighed out (ha, geddit!) the pro’s and con’s of the program, but decided to give it a try.

Disclaimer: I am not endorsing or promoting MediFast. I get no financial compensation, and please consult your doctor before beginning any diet and exercise program. This is a VERY low calorie, restrictive diet and it’s not for everyone. This is simply the program I picked, that I liked, and that worked for me.

The good part of MediFast: I LOVE the structure of the program; you know exactly what you can and can’t eat. You get a “real” meal, and aren’t really hungry since you’re eating six times a day (although the first three days of detox really suck!). Plus, I got really good results from the program. From April 13 through Oct 30th, I lost 50 lbs. I did have some cheat weeks… I had 2 trips to see Mr. BC in Hawaii, and he came home one week. It was pretty much impossible for me to stay on the diet during those times. Plus, I had a few cheat meals/drinks sprinkled in between. But I was pretty consistent with the diet and my results were pretty consistent. I am considered a “slow” loser and I probably average 1.5 lbs lost each week. Some weeks were better, and some were worse. Some weeks I lost nothing, despite being 100% on plan.

The bad part of MediFast: It’s EXTREMELY restrictive and very low calorie. You are not allowed to eat almost everything. You get lean proteins, non-starchy vegetables and healthy fats. That’s pretty much it. No alcohol, carbs, sugar, or anything fun. It is very hard on your social life! I passed on quite a lot of dinners and outings because it isn’t very much fun to watch your friends drink alcohol and eat food you “can’t”. It’s also hard because who doesn’t have alcohol, sugar and carb cravings? There were definitely nights where I would crave a glass of wine, or some chips. Most nights I managed to resist, but not always. Another negative is that it’s a bit pricey. And personally, I am not super fond of packaged food full of preservatives and lots of soy, but oh well. It was temporary.

One thing I am doing, in addition to the diet, is the behavior program. I bought both of the MF books and have been incorporating the “Habits of Health” into changing my lifestyle. I will say that if you do MF with just the food, you will probably gain all your weight back. To effectively keep weight off, you have to change your lifestyle (no duh, right?). This is not something I have ever done with past diets and I ALWAYS gained the weigh back, plus more. The upside of using the books, and behavior program is that thus far I have really been able to identify my food triggers, and (sometimes) understand why I over eat. It’s great learning why I do the things I do. I have also realized that I am someone who needs structure and rules with my life. I’m learning to set up rules to eat by (only eat out twice a month, only drink alcohol once a week, etc.) It’s an uphill battle, but I definitely feel like I am making progress.

The past six months have been tough and I have lost my motivation and zest for the program. So I am in the process of transitioning off MF and back onto real food, which is exciting. I am feeling really optimistic about keeping the weight off this time. What’s great is that even with yoyoing the past six months, I feel like I’ve changed how I view weight loss, and how I eat. I was pretty happy to return home after visiting Mr. BC this week and get back to my super fresh, healthy diet. I feel better when I eat better, and that in and of itself, is motivation to continue!

Just for comparison sake, here is my “before” and “in progress” picture:

I started out at a size 18 with a BMI of 37.9 (obese class 2). I am currently a size 10/12 (depending on the pants) with a BMI of 28.8 (over weight).

Photo’s are personal

While I’m not necessarily done on my weight loss journey, for my wedding I feel like any more weight loss is going to be the icing on the cake. I ordered my wedding dress in the size I currently am. I am still hoping to lose a bit more and tone up, but if this is as good as it gets, I’m okay with that.

Got any questions about MediFast? Are you trying to lose weight, or tone up for your wedding? How do you keep it healthy? How do you stay on track when you really want junk food?